Hank Williams film shoot begins in Arkansas

It's been rumored for weeks, nay months, and now it's underway.

A sort-of biopic of country singer/songwriter Hank Williams is now shooting in central Arkansas. The shoot began today.

The movie is tentatively called The Last Ride, and will focus on the final week or so of Williams' life, including his death of a heart attack while riding to a gig in the back seat of a Cadillac.

There has been no official announcement of the project by the Arkansas Film Commission, but it did send out the following casting call email today:

Christopher Crane
Film Commissioner
ccrane@arkansasedc.com
Economic Development Commission

(501) 682-7326 Fax 501.682.3456 Cell 501.902.9283 Arkansasedc.com
One Capitol Mall Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

hey friends....need extras, see below, please pass the word!

MOVIE EXTRAS NEEDED FOR FEATURE FILM.

The Last Ride, based on a true story of a famous country western legend, will be filming scenes in Central Arkansas through the end of February.

We are not at liberty to announce the lead actors yet, however they are well known ,and you might get to work with them!

We need several extras, stand-ins and photo doubles to work various days beginning Tuesday, February 16th.

Seeking: Older men and women, males and females, middle age, younger and a few teens. All scenes are in rural areas of the south, thus we are seeking REAL faces - farmers, honky tonk folk, plate lunch diners, coal miners, etc......

Rate of pay varies, with a 75.00 minimum. Some of the cast may be needed more than one day.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

Those interested should send the following stats to the casting dept. filmARcasting@gmail.com (not case sensitive):

name
age
phone, cell, msg number, email address, any and all contact numbers please!
height
weight
eye, hair coloring
any 1950's wardrobe?

Also, please attach a current snapshot or digital picture to your email. If you have film or theatre experience, feel free to attach a resume or just highlight your experience in an email application!

Casting begins immediately. Please help get word out to friends and associates - just forward this email! You may not hear back immediately, as casting is a work in progress and will be on-going through the end of the month.

Again, help pass the word, ARKANSAS NEEDS TO MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION on this director…..part of which will be accomplished by providing him with wonderful Arkansan's to fill his requests! Pass email ASAP!

Thank you in advance!!!!!

Casting Department
The Last Ride

No phone calls
please. Email correspondence only.
We will respond as time permits.
Thank you in Advance and hope to see you in the movies.

Again, there has been no official word of this project from the Film Commission or anyone else, but sources tell me Arkansas native Harry Thomason is directing.

Thomason last directed a feature film in 2004, and that was the documentary The Hunting of the President. His last movie with actors, sets and a script was in 1979. That's the year he directed no less than two narrative features, The Day It Came to Earth, and Revenge of Bigfoot. Since then, he has directed lots of TV, mainly his own shows Designing Women, Evening Shade and Hearts Afire.

No word on the film's budget or what sort of release the movie will get.

Work on this project has been underway for a while. This report from a Knoxville, Tennessee area blog says Thomason worked with local vintage car owners there to shoot footage of a baby-blue 1953 Caddy and other old autos around the first of the year.

Two things about the casting notice above: First, the "well known... lead actors" mentioned are not Brangelina level talent, but one name I've heard is a former child actor currently starring in a big theatrical release. (Sorry, I can't name names cause my source won 't let me.)

As for the need for Arkansas to "make a great impression" on the director, well Thomason is from here, knows the place well, so it's not like we're trying to impress Speilberg, but, hey, we DO need to make a good impression in terms of the state's ability to mount a major film production.

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It's funny. Covering Arkansas news for many years now, I've noticed a pattern: when a film project like this comes to town, NO ONE will talk about it. I've had Chris Crane, the state film commissioner, and his predecessor Joe Glass tell me repeatedly that producers and state officials are worried that over-zealous fans and lookie-loos will swarm a shooting location and make work difficult.

But I've always argued that the best way to promote Arkansas as a movie-making location is to talk about it as such. You don't have to say "Billy Bob Thornton will be at the Lonoke County courthouse square from noon until 7:00 p.m today." You can just say something like: "A $12-million film about the life of Louis Jordan is being shot at various locations in Pulaski and Lonoke Counties over the next six weeks. The movie is being directed by Frank Capra and stars Chris Rock, Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The film is slated to air on HBO this September."

Now would a press release like that really cause anybody any problems?